(Let’s Go) Walkin’ In The Cold November Rain

“Everybody needs some time, on their own…”

Damn, Axle Rose was really on his way, huh? In the short time that he and his seminal hard rock band, GUNS ‘N’ ROSES, held it together, he managed to craft a handful of great songs. The aforementioned, November Rain, Patience, Don’t Cry, Sweet Child O’ Mine, and few above average rockers – It’s So Easy, Paradise City – register as classics. They’ll stay relevant forever. You can’t go wrong with good old rock and roll. The sound is somewhat timeless.

(We hate you almost as much as we hate each other.)

But then eccentricities went and sank the band. I figured Rose would emerge as an important solo artist (whatever name he performed under). I figured he’d keep writing and produce some gems in the process. As evidenced by his output, he was really coming into his own with the rock-opera-ballad type stuff. The fire of youth was giving way to some genuinely accomplished songwriting. That he had (still has?) an entire hell of personal demons only helped. Broken love songs eat happy love songs for a midnight snack.

I read Slash’s tell-all (appropriately titled SLASH) over the summer. The guitar virtuoso spent very few pages on Axle, but the little he wrote isn’t pretty. The frontman comes off as moody, withdrawn, excessive, selfish, and very, very high maintainance.

Anyway, this wasn’t supposed to be a post about Axel Rose, Loyal Reader. I just stole one of his song titles to set the mood for this blog. What I really wanted to write about was the turning of the seasons.

(Get over your Blair Witch phobias and enjoy a nice walk in the woods.)

Unfortunately, it’s gone now. The great things I was going to get out have died and disappeared and now I’m whistling (badly) Patience and trying to bring it back. It’s not coming…

Hmmm. What I wanted to say, in an extremely condensed nutshell – is that I love the fall. I love the cool weather and the crisp air. I love pumpkin spice candles and then pine cones and then the New Year’s mix of smoke, champagne, and holiday treats.

Great songwriters have the power to invoke a feeling that invokes memory that fills us with nostalgia. Something like November Rain and my personal favorite, Patience, do just that. They move me much in the same way Billy Corgan’s version of Stevie Nick’s Landslide does.

(Take a quick blog break and get all nostalgic – this song almost makes me wanna cry...)

I know this emotional recall and the power of sentimental songwriting is different for everyone, my selections are not your selections, but whoever you are, it works. Right? It’s a shame Rose went off the deep end at the height of his power. He probably had (still has) a few stunners in him.

So then, there’s a song out there that triggers the floodgates and gets those memories percolating. When the moment strikes, get comfortable, close your eyes, and take the trip – your soul will thank you for it.